• Living standard in Czech Republic some 20 percent below EU average
    06/28/2007

    Figures released by Eurostat - the statistical office of the European communities - suggest that the living standard in the Czech Republic came a bit closer to the EU average last year. Based on first preliminary estimates, Gross Domestic Product per inhabitant expressed in Purchasing Power Standards in the Czech Republic was some 20 percent below the EU average. Overall, the figures varied from 37% to 280% of the average across the 27 member states. Revised estimates will be published in December.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • 20 % of trees in state-owned forest damaged by January hurricane yet to be cleared
    06/28/2007

    Lesy Czech Republic, which manages the country's state-owned forests, says it has yet to clear 20% of the trees that were damaged when strong winds swept through the Czech Republic earlier this year. In January, hurricane Kyril devastated some 5.1 million cubic metres of wood. But while Lesy Czech Republic has until the end of the year to clear the damage, the management at the Krkonose National Park had until the end of June. With 6,500 cubic metres of wood to go, it has asked the Environment Ministry to postpone the deadline by a month.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Police celebrate Officer of the Year awards
    06/28/2007

    The Czech Police Force honoured its best officers at a ceremony at Prague's Zofin palace on Thursday. The honours were given for the protection of human rights, solved serious crimes, and assistance in battling forest fires. Two police officers received Officer of the Year awards for rescuing an 8-year old boy who almost drowned in a frozen-over river.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Wimbledon: Vaidisova in, Sromova knocked out
    06/28/2007

    Czech tennis star Nicole Vaidisova has advanced to the third round at Wimbledon. Her colleague Hana Sromova, though, is out of the race. She has been knocked out in the second round of the women's singles by Venus Williams.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Gebrselassie breaks world mark in Ostrava
    06/28/2007

    Twice Olympic 10,000 meters champion Haile Gebrselassie has broken a world mark at the "Golden Spike" grand prix athletics meeting in the Moravan city of Ostrava. The 34-year-old Ethiopian ran 21.285 km in 60 minutes to surpass Mexican Arturo Barrios's previous mark of 21.101 km, set in La Fleche, France, on March 30, 1991.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Three Czechs among 22 victims of Cambodia plane crash
    06/27/2007

    Three Czechs are among the 22 people confirmed dead after their small plane crashed in Cambodia on Monday. There were no survivors. Cambodian authorities said bad weather was the most likely cause of the crash, which occurred in a mountainous area. The Russian made twin-propeller plane was travelling between two tourist destinations in the country. The Czech Foreign Ministry said the Czech victims were two men and a woman, aged 19 to 21.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Two more cases of bird flu detected in different parts of country
    06/27/2007

    Hens which died on a farm in east Bohemia had the dangerous H5N1 strain of bird flu, health officials said on Wednesday. The farm is just four kilometres from the spot where the disease was also discovered last week, in what was the first case of any kind of bird flu detected on a Czech poultry farm. Meanwhile, officials said a dead swan found in Moravia also had bird flu. It has not yet been ascertained what strain of the disease the bird had.

    The minister of agriculture, Petr Gandalovic, said measures aimed at preventing the further spread of bird flu had been introduced on the whole territory of the Czech Republic. The minister also said he was worried the outbreaks would have a negative impact on the country's poultry industry.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Press: Pilot under investigation for sleeping in cockpit during flight
    06/27/2007

    A Czech pilot is under investigation for sleeping in the cockpit while flying a Travel Service plane from Tenerife to Prague two months ago, Mlada fronta Dnes reported. Furthermore, the pilot was allegedly alone in the cockpit at the time, which contravenes regulations. When the sleeping pilot's Boeing 737 appeared without authorisation in Swiss air space, the Swiss authorities sent fighter jets to investigate, the paper said. The airline Travel Service denies the latter allegation.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Construction to remain in 5-percent tax bracket as EU exemption is extended
    06/27/2007

    The European Commission is going to extend until 2010 an exemption under which construction work in the Czech Republic is in the lower, five-percent value added tax bracket, the Czech Press Agency reported. The exemption had been due to come to an end in January, and there were fears of a subsequent rise in house prices. The EC is due to officially announce the news next week.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Preparations for Prague airport privatisation complete
    06/27/2007

    The director of Prague airport, Miroslav Dvorak, says preparations have been completed for its privatisation. The privatisation process is set to begin this year, though the Ministry of Transport has not yet set a concrete date for the sell-off. However, Mr Dvorak said Prague airport should be in private ownership by spring next year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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